How Much Does it Cost to Paint a Room?

Painting a room (or several rooms) can be an exciting time for any new homeowner; you’re customising the property to your tastes, removing dusty old wallpaper or painting over drab or garish colours and putting your own stamp on the place. Painting a room can also be a therapeutic way to make a new place feel familiar and it often allows you to coordinate the rest of your furniture or interior design scheme. Plus, a good paint job is a great investment, as it provides a lasting finish to a room that really impresses potential buyers and increases the overall value of the property.

Average Cost of Painting Per Room

To help give you a rough outline of painting prices and current labour fees, we have put together a quick guide that pairs rooms of various sizes with an average material and labour charge. Figures are based on ordinary white, branded, non-drip gloss paint, plus two coats per surface (wall or ceiling). That way you can get a notion of the cost of painting a room and just how much it might set you back:

Chosen Room

Measurements (metres L/W/H)

Paint and Labour Fees

Living Room

4x6x3.5

£374.00

Bedroom

3x4x3

£209.00

Kitchen

4x2x3.5

£193.00

Bathroom

3x3x3

£172.00

Conservatory

4x5x3

£292.00

Attic Room

4x3x2

£152.00

Remember, these prices just list the average cost of painting a room, and although they do separate the painting cost per room they don’t necessarily provide the exact cost to paint a room for your particular property.Total cost will ultimately depend on where you live, what room you want painted, the size of the surface area and what type and/or colour of paint you eventually choose – so there is a great deal of room for price fluctuation. Price will also depend on how long it takes your professional painter to get the job done.

Of course, there is little reason why a mere paint job should escalate beyond £1,000 no matter where you shop, unless you are planning on painting the entire property or also have to pay for industrial wallpaper removal. Still, as long as you budget carefully and compare a number of different quotes from a variety of contractors, you can make sure you keep the cost for painting a room as low as is possible without compromising on the quality of the finish.

DIY Painting Costs

If you have experience in home refurbishment or the odd DIY job then you may want to save a bit of cash and have a go at painting the room yourself. Nevertheless it is likely a qualified contractor could get the job done quicker if you lack the confidence and/or experience yourself – plus they have knowledge on painting techniques, products and equipment that could provide a better finish and even keep costs down. If you do decide to paint yourself, don’t overspend by buying too much paint – use our paint calculator to figure out exactly how much you need.

*Source: Whatprice. The Average cost to paint a room is accurate as of November 2012.